So you have conquered technology and have an awesome real estate website! But where are my leads? We’re going to explain how we get actual visitors to your site with little to no marketing budget.

In marketing, lead generation is simply the initiation and process of attracting strangers and prospects into someone who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service. In real estate, how do we get buyers and sellers to raise their hand and tell us they’re interested in buying or selling real estate? How do we get these buyers and sellers onto our website and provide us their contact information?

We are going to expand this section. Prospecting and lead generation is the lifeblood of real estate. It is difficult for any business to be sustainable and grow without constant prospecting and lead generation.

As you will come to learn there are several ways to attract a prospect to your real estate business. One, tell them straight to their face that you’re a real estate agent and ask them for their business. While this tactic may or may not work, we will err on the side of caution and say we don’t recommend this approach. A second option would be to offer something of value to a prospect that may be of interest to them. For example if someone you’re speaking to says they’re interested in buying a home and that schools are very important to them, you can offer them information and ratings on local schools. With this approach you will find that your prospect will be more forthcoming with their information and provide you with an email or phone number so that you can contact them with your valuable information. This is when you will provide them with your business card that has your real estate website address and contact information.

Lead generation online works very similarly. With thousands of real estate agents in your city alone, how will you stand out? What makes your website unique? By offering valuable information or content, you are subtly creating an awareness and attracting those buyers and sellers considering to buy real estate.

There are many ways to generate leads including paying for leads, but we will focus on generating leads with a minimal budget. Here are 3 ways to get buyers and sellers to your website:

• Research and write on data you think a buyer would be interested in. There are THOUSANDS of websites that are full of information. Take a few pieces here and there and weave them into your article. Add statistics too because readers love reading data with numbers. Make sure to reference your information. Your first few articles don’t have to be perfect. Get feedback from friends and family and grow from there. Share your blog on social media, ie. Facebook or Instagram with links to your website.
• Social media. If your office has listings, market one on social media and boost the page. For $10 you can run your ad for 3 days and reach thousands of people! Make sure you have a link to your website on there. I do recommend reading up on how to create an effective Facebook ad (which you can find our website!)
• Video has been crushing it this past few years and is a GREAT way to get yourself out there with potential prospects. You can use your phone or laptop camera and quickly make dozens of videos related to real estate! Make videos on your community events, neighborhoods, schools, listings and more. Provide Top Ten videos such as Top 10 Coffee Shops In Seattle or Top 10 Homes Under 300k In The City of Seattle. The topics are endless! Of course make sure you mention your website in your video! Post the video on social media and become the local real estate professional in a matter of months!